Lib Dems back Devizes community protest
Wiltshire Liberal Democrats are fully behind the community protest, organised by the 'SAVE Braeside & Oxenwood' community group for the 28thApril in Devizes, against the closure of the county's two outdoor education centres.
The protest will be enthusiastically attended by a number of Lib Dem councillors and the party hopes that the Tory cabinet will rethink their heartless decision to close these two valuable community assets. Liberal Democrat councillor Jon Hubbard, who chairs the council's Children's Select Committee has attacked the council's closure decision saying that it "fails the young people in our communities and yet again puts the purse before the people."
Speaking following the decision Cllr Hubbard commented, "They are not facilities that are building up huge deficits or are failing to deliver a decent service - in fact Braeside was forecast to return a profit this year. They are great centres that are run by hard-working dedicated members of staff who go above and beyond on a regular basis to deliver for our children and young people. To treat them like this is frankly shoddy."
The demonstration in Devizes follows the Lib Dem's "call in" to review the closure decision, which unfortunately failed to gain the support of Conservative councillors and to which Labour couldn't be bothered to turn up to.
Reacting angrily at this Lib Dem Council Group Leader‎ and Leader of the Opposition, Councillor Ian Thorn said, "I am furious that Labour did not bother to turn up for this important debate and decision.
Labour members and voters should be as furious as I and my Lib Dem colleagues are. They have let down the staff of these Centres, and the young people and their parents who get so much out of going there.
We all need to remember this failure by Labour and the Conservatives' short sighted and mean-spirited decision when Wiltshire residents vote for their new Council in 2021."